Memories Clocktime
by Negateaux
Summary: Ekko has just joined the League. But a chance encounter in Piltover causes memories to surface he never thought he'd face again. Can he recover the friendship he was valued so dearly? Or has time wiped away all traces of a life he once knew? One-shot


This is a one-shot I wrote about Ekko. I tried to keep it as close to the lore of all three characters as I could. Hope you enjoy.

* * *

This city always made his skin crawl. He guessed, looking at the crowded streets at this moment, that it was a nice looking place. At least nice enough. Though he still didn't like being here. Piltover, the city of progress as it was commonly known. _What a load of bullshit_. Ekko thought to himself. A long bridge connected the rest of the world to the city and even that was made to look pristine. Ekko looked up to see the city off in the distance, with its high towers and twisting gears. It reminded him of home in a way. The two cities were reflections of each other in a weird sense.

Up close the building were even more intimidating. Even more so then back in Zaun. They seemed to stretch up to the sky itself. He walked the length of the street and ran his hand alongside one of the walls. Even the buildings felt different here. He had only been to Piltover once before. It was three years ago now. The memory was mostly a sour one. Though, he couldn't remember why his parents had brought him here. He looked up at a giant clock tower. One of larger buildings in the city. He stared closely at the ticking hands and smiled. _Looks like they fixed it._ He looked over his shoulder at the bundle tied to his back. His bat, and weapon of choice. It wasn't know by many, but he actually made it out of the hour hand.

He looked down at his watch. 1:07 it read. Exactly three hundred and thirty-two seconds since he walked off that bridge. His stomach rumbled as he considered if he should eat somewhere. Despite his hesitation to do much of anything for these pilties he decided he'd better get something.

A few potent questions and some odd looks later he found himself in front of a rather plain looking, at least by piltover standards, burger joint. The sign was hanging off a bit and despite it being sunny outside, the lights in the sign were on. Or at least, most of them were. The edge of the doorway seemed to blacken with what looked like the remnants of a small blaze. _My kind of place_. Ekko thought to himself as he went inside.

There weren't many people inside, but the ones that were gave Ekko only the slightest of glances. He probably could have toned it down in an effort to blend in more, but when you're born with white hair and when it's done up in a mohawk, you tend to stick out regardless. Not to mention how contrasting it was with his dark skin color.

Ekko ordered the simplest thing he could find. A burger with fries. As well as some water. Then he began to count. One. Two. Three… The seconds ticked by until the chef returned with his order. Ekko bit into the sandwich and immediately recognized the flavor. He stopped chewing and looked at the chef. "Is this rat?!" Ekko said, loud enough that some of the patrons turned in his direction. The chef looked confused, but also guilty. Ekko's mouthful twisted into a smile. "I love rat. And, really if I throw up, I'll just rewind anyway." The chef looked confused but decided he'd better just walk away. Ekko took another savory bite and took some time before swallowing. He didn't get to take another however.

A loud, piercing bang rang through the small building, shaking Ekko's chair and making him drop the burger. He looked around the room at all the shaken customers. Some weren't lucky enough to have stayed in their chairs. Ekko leapt off his chair and quickly headed outside to see where the noise had come from.

At first it seemed like nothing had happened. The streets were quite. But in a moment the screams of people filled Ekko's ears. He looked past them as the sky started to fill with smoke. Following the smoke trail led Ekko's eyes to the clock tower. Where the recently replaced hour hand hung, was now a gaping hole in the side. Debris awkwardly hung off the sides, looking like it could fall off at any moment.

Within a few moments, sirens filled his ears, overtaking the screams of people. Ekko turned towards the sound as a police vehicle arrived. It was a crude looking thing, especially for the so called "city of progress". It bore no colors indicating it was anything other than a normal hextech powered machine. The only thing separating it from the other vehicles on the street was a crudely painted symbol on the side. It looked like someone had badly drawn the city symbol. That, and they were driving towards the screams.

Ekko swore he heard the sound of someone laughing far off in the distance when the doors of the police vehicle opened. Two figures emerged, one on each side. Ekko knew them both immediately.

The hat gave away the first one, her name was Caitlyn, Piltover's resident sheriff. Her large purple and yellow hat matched with her dress. A rather inexplicably short dress for this kind of occasion. The second individual was another woman. Her mop of pink hair, the tattoo of her name "Vi" on her face, and the gigantic metal gauntlets she had on gave her away even more.

Ekko had seen them both briefly before. He first saw Caitlyn when he was in the city last time. She'd tried to stop him from taking the clock piece before getting called off for another emergency. And Vi, he'd seen at a glance when he first joined the League one week ago.

Vi slammed her fists into each other. "Cupcake," Vi began, addressing her partner, "I think it's her. I want you to stay here. I'll draw her out, then I want you to _take_ her out." Caitlyn raised an eyebrow.

"That seems…ill advised. We should be trying to bring her in."

"No more! Jinx has gotten away with too much since she came here. All to get at me. I won't let it happen again." There must have been something in her look because Caitlyn just nodded.

"I'll find a vantage point up there." She pointed to a building across from the clock tower. "Do what you need to do." Caitlyn reached into the car and pulled out a rifle almost equaling herself in height. Ekko had to admit it looked pretty sweet with its three enhancing mirrors and the hextech core.

With that, they both bounded off towards their locations. But it was in this moment that something clicked inside Ekko. A memory from long ago. He watched Vi run down the street and his mind began to stir. He cocked his head. _Is that…_ It couldn't be. That person would never have become a cop. But the hair and the walk. Similar, but not exact. And he didn't remember a tattoo. But he couldn't remember much from ten years ago, so it was hard to say.

He shook his head. It wasn't relevant anymore. It couldn't have been the same person. _Who cares about these pilties anyway?_ He turned to walk away but stopped in his tracks. Another explosion rocked him in place as he reached for his ears. The screams had been replaced by ringing but they were loud enough that he could still hear them. He looked back at the tower, now with another fresh hole in it. He clenched his teeth because he knew what had to happen next.

Different city. Same conviction. He laughed at himself. Back home he was a vigilante. Stopping back guys was what he did. Looks like that applies everywhere. He glanced up at the tower and reached to his waist. _Calculating Z-drive_. He looked at his watch and counted the seconds again. _Sixteen. Seventeen…_ He yanked the chain on his belt causing the Z-drive to glow with energy. A few seconds later, it was fully charged. Then, he too went to the tower.

He was lucky. The tower was one of those ones that is usually a tourist attraction. That meant the door was always open. At least during normal hours. He entered a large lobby with three directions to go. A few people were running from the right side to the exit. _Must be the right direction then._ He pushed past them until he found some stairs leading up. A security guard was trying to direct people out allowing Ekko to slip by the confusion.

He took a quick look up the resounding spiral of stairs and sighed. _I hope I only have to do this once._ He began running at full speed. The person at the top of this had better be worth it.

His legs were working twice as hard going up the stairs and it took only a minute or so before his heart pounded in his chest. But he had to keep going. His run was interrupted by yet another explosion. The resulting force knocked him off his feet. He looked up just in time as part of the stairs above was beginning to crumble. He rolled to the side but just a bit too late as he felt a shard of rock or glass, Ekko wasn't sure, slice into his cheek. He quickly stood up and kept moving.

Reaching for his cheek, he felt fresh blood on his hands. _Shit._ But still he continued on. For the most part, he couldn't hear the screams anymore as he made his way up. That's what made it so shocking when a fresh scream filled his ears. He turned to quickly see a man falling from the railing. He must have been at the top trying to escape. His fall was so sudden, there was nothing Ekko could do. At least not in this timeline. He looked to his watch. 442 seconds had passed since he turned the Z-drive on. He made note of that in his head as he reached for his right hand. He turned the dial connecting to the Z-drive and everything froze for a brief moment.

The green light of the Z-drive enveloped Ekko's vision. Then he saw everything in reverse. The man went back up to his ledge and Ekko ran down the stairs. The light blinded him for a moment and then he was back holding the Z-drive chain in front of the clock tower. His breathing was still heavy and his cheek still bloody. Everything was like it was before. The Z-drives biggest flaw. Ekko had to fix that one day. Nonetheless he sprinted back up to the tower to do it all again.

At 435 seconds he stopped running and faced the railing. He quickly got atop it and waited. After five seconds he jumped. The timing was perfect. He collided with the falling man, sending them both to the other side of the staircase. The man kept screaming despite landing safely. "Hey, man," Ekko began. "You're safe. Look" The man looked around. "But there isn't time to talk. You gotta go." The man nodded.

"Thank you. You saved my life."

"Just remember a kid from Zaun saved you. Not one of these pilties." The man looked perplexed but nodded before running off.

After what seemed like an eternity, he made it to the top. Although, it really didn't seem like much of a top anymore. The wall supporting the clock still stood but large holes made it look like they were trying to turn it into an open air theatre. Ekko could even see a low flying blimp right outside the wall. He took the bundle off his back and unwrapped it. Beneath was his glowing green bat. It looked almost like a sword except the hilt was much longer than average. It also had a rounded edge rather than a sharp one.

Vi stood on one side of the room breathing heavily as sweat dripped from her forehead. Her pink hair hung in front of her eyes but otherwise she didn't move. Opposite her was another woman. She was scarily skinny with Ekko able to see her ribcage from his position. She had light blue hair tied in braids that cascaded almost to the floor. She too looked out of it but she had this grin on her face that didn't waver.

The blue haired woman noticed Ekko first. She looked over with piercing pink eyes. She cocked her head. Ekko saw the three-barreled mini-gun attached to her waist and the rocket launcher attached to her shoulder. Clearly this was the person blowing up the tower. He gripped his bat and was ready to move but something stopped him. Those eyes. That hair. Another memory surfaced. Desperately clawing its way up from his mind. It couldn't be who he thought. But upon closer inspection of the rocket launcher he saw its strange shark mouth. That told him all he needed to.

He was about to say her name. He had to know if it was really her. But Vi had other plans. She charged at the blue haired woman. The woman raised her gun and fired a volley of shots. Vi raised her gauntlets and blocked the attack. The woman realized the futility of the bullets and switched to her launcher. She quickly fired a small missile. Ekko thought that would be it for Vi but she was able to dodge the thing, leaving another hole in the building. It rocked Ekko for a moment but he stayed on his feet. Vi was upon her now. The woman reached for her third gun. A small weapon that glowed with blue energy. But she wasn't fast enough. Vi got in close and slammed one of her fists into the woman's stomach. Blood flew from her mouth as she was sent flying into to an open area of the tower. Still she smiled.

"That was a good hit, Fat Hands. But it's," She struggled to stand up but managed after a moment. "not going to be enough." Now it was Vi's turn to smile.

"I just needed to get you over there. I was just toying with you." Vi stood still for a moment. She took a deep breath before she mumbled something to herself. Ekko and the woman stood still. Confused. Ekko heard a quiet zipping sound before he saw the red. It happened in one blink. A bullet tore through the head of the woman spewing blood on the floor around her. She crumpled to the floor, causing her smile to finally fade. Silence passed the room. There was nothing to say. Ekko looked on in horror. He'd seen dead people before. It happened often in Zaun but this was different.

Vi fell to her knees with a grin. She looked up at Ekko looking like she wanted to say something but said nothing. Ekko walked over to the woman's body. She looked peaceful despite being dead. "Did you know her?" Vi asked from behind.

"I think so. We might have been old friends. I'm not sure."

"Well the world's a better place now. She was a menace." Ekko clenched his teeth but said nothing. He couldn't tell if she was who he thought. And Vi's words just made him feel worse. He couldn't let it end like this. Not when he had time left. He cursed his own mind and reached for his right hand again. He turned the dial and was enveloped once again in green light.

He had almost forgot to save the man this time. His mind raced in so many directions he had forgotten to count the seconds. He didn't do it as gracefully this time but he still managed to save him. And as he reached the top of the stairs he kept asking himself why he went back. This woman, even if she was who he thought she was, was a monster. Blowing up all this stuff. Putting people at risk. It didn't track. But he couldn't let go. It wasn't in his nature. Ekko's exhaustion made it take more time before he arrived but as Vi prepared to mumble to herself, Ekko used the last of his energy and sprinted at the woman. She moved her gun towards him but she wasn't fast enough in her injured state. Ekko tackled her to the ground just as the bullet flew over her.

He knew he didn't have much time. He got up and dragged the woman out of the open air clock wall. She resisted at first but eventually realized he had just saved her and let it happen. Vi screamed a scream of aggression and charged at the two of them. Ekko didn't want to hurt Vi either but knew he might need to. But as she got closer she looked up at him. And it was as she met his eyes that there was one moment of hesitation. He had to take it. He gripped his bat and swung in a wide arc. It didn't have the power he desired as he too was exhausted but it was enough to get her to back off for a second. The blue haired woman knew this was the moment. "Come on, spike!" She yelled as she grabbed his hand. She tugged at him into a full run as she headed towards the open wall. "Make sure to jump!"

"What?!" Ekko yelled. But it was too late. The edge was upon him. He jumped. I guess they were lucky that blimp was still there as it was a small rope hanging from it that the blue haired woman and Ekko grabbed onto. Wordlessly, she climbed the rope and Ekko followed up. He looked to the tower where he saw Vi standing on the edge. Her gaze told Ekko he was dead for sure. But he held her gaze. He needed to know.

"No time to gaze, spike. Hat Lady's still on that roof." Ekko blinked and glanced over. The woman was right. He quickly climbed the rest of the rope and into the carriage. The floor of it was covered in mechanical parts. Apparently it was a mechanically run ship. She had made short work of the pilot. She took command of the wheel and the two started to drift higher. And hopefully further away.

Ekko collapsed as he finally got to take a breath. He was now only a few inches from the woman. He had his suspicions about her but he needed to know the truth. "So," he began. "What's your name anyway? And why was Vi after you?" She took a moment before she responded.

"Oh, you mean Fat Hands? She's always after me for something." She said in a high pitched and eerily happy sounding voice. "All I want to do is have a little fun and cause just a tiny bit of destruction, and she flies off that handle. Can you believe that?!" Ekko was shocked. He was dealing with a psycho.

"Yeah, can hardly believe it." Another pause. "What's your name anyway?"

"Mine? Oh, it's Jinx." She then pointed at her weapons. "And this is Fishbones and Pow Pow." That confirmed it. She was the same one.

"Jinx huh? Thought your name was Jasmine?" Jinx seemed to twitch just an instant. She pressed a few buttons on the piloting dash and then turned to him. She knelled down so that she was looking Ekko right in the face. He had to take in her whole form. She wasn't as skinny as he thought up close. It seemed like she had matured in all the right places. Her hips, well formed and the curve of her legs seemed perfect. She wore a very revealing top, almost nothing more than a bathing suit top with bandoleers attached. Admittedly she didn't have much to cover, but she somehow made it even more appealing. Her pants were equally revealing as they were quite short. She had tattoos of clouds and bullets dotting most of her right side. Ekko felt heat on his face at how close she got.

Jinx wasn't giving her normal smile. "That name…how do you know it?"

Ekko stood up. Jinx quickly followed suit. "I know it, because it's your name. Or at least it was, once." She shook her head. She stood just a bit taller than him.

"No, I just told you, my name is Jinx. But the name you said, I knew someone with that name once. Long ago." Ekko grabbed her shoulders.

"Are you out of your mind?" Her actions had actually already answered that but still he continued. "It's your name! We knew each other once. Think back, ten years ago. That was the last time we spoke." Jinx's empty pink eyes just stared at him. She blinked and in moments, her smile returned.

"Nope, sorry. Got nothing. Where would you like me to drop you off?" Could she really have been this far gone? He knew she was crazy, even back then. But this? It was hard to believe. She turned back to the controls and fiddled with them again.

"Just get me out of the city. I can get back to Zaun from there." She nodded and they flew. Ekko sat back down and thought he might catch some sleep on the way. But then, he heard a voice.

"She remembers, you know?" It sounded like Jinx's voice. But yet, altered somehow. He looked up. Jinx was piloting still but her left hand was making the shark mouth on Fishbones move. "Maybe you can help her. Most of the time she can't but I remember you, even if she doesn't."

"Yo, Jinx. What's going on here?"

"I'm not Jinx. It's me: Fishbones. Listen, there isn't much time left but I just thought you should know what I'm thinking." Ekko thought this was crazy now. But when she had first started using Fishbones to talk was when his feelings changed for the worse. But this did give him an idea.

"Okay, Fishbones. Once I get off this thing, will you tell Jinx to meet me at the Zaun citadel in two days, at midnight? I would really appreciate it." She stopped flapping the mouth, like it was supposed to be thinking.

"I'll do what I can, Ekko." With that, she let go of the mouth and continued to face the direction they were headed. Ekko decided to try sleeping again. Part of him wanted to rewind. Let what happened happen and move on with his life. But he wanted to see what happened with Jinx. For a moment he broke through that crazy wall and he thought he might have a way to get all the way through.

* * *

Ekko landed safely on one of the many pipes near the factory. Looking to his left and right, he saw that Duke and Lien had landed on theirs as well. Duke spoke first while Ekko pulled the chain on his Z-drive. "Lien, tell me again: who's the boss meeting with?" She rolled her eyes.

"His old crush. You know, Jinx, from the posters."

"Oh yeah, the bonkers chick. But he doesn't like her anymore right? Who's that blondie he likes now?

"That's Janna. The wind bitch, remember?"

"Ah, right. She needs to put on some clothes." Ekko swung his bat in the air.

"Can we not talk my feelings right now?!" The two of them straightened up and looked back up to the window they kept expecting to shatter. _Ten. Eleven. Twelve… what's taking so long?_ Then it happened. The large factory window shattered above them and a large black figure came out. Red eyes full of rage, it barreled down on the three of them.

"Duke," Ekko yelled. "Hit em with all you got!" Duke smirked as he clenched his gloved hands.

"Let's turn it up!" Duke shot out both of his hands. The hextech devices on them lit up with a faint green light. A soft hum passed through Ekko's ears but he knew that was not what the black figure was hearing. Condensed sound waves shot from Duke's hands and slammed into the figure on the way down. Whatever momentum it had was lost as it went from a directed attack to a fall.

Lien was up next. She prepared the katana in her hand. The creature got closer and closer until it was in perfect range. She jumped off the pipe and swung in wide arc, catching the figure across stomach. The momentum sent her to the same pipe Duke stood on but the figure was left in the air near Ekko. He was supposed to hit the creature with his bat to finish the job but it seemed he was too slow. He was distracted, he couldn't help it. The figure slammed into pipe he stood on. Either their combined weight or just the force of the blow was irrelevant. The pipe was crumbling. In a moment Ekko found himself falling to the ground below. _Hurry or you'll break your legs, stupid._ He quickly reached for his right hand and turned the dial.

This time he stayed focused. Lien made her move and Ekko was ready. He wound up his strike and swung with all his might. He caught the figure in the jaw. Sending it careening to the ground below. He took a deep breath before looking to his partners. They both gave him a thumbs up. One he returned before they decided to get down from the pipes.

The three of them looked over the body of the fallen figure. It wasn't human, maybe once, but not anymore. It had been twisted into some kind of monstrous figure. Something resembling a tiger but with the mass of a human. Or maybe three humans put together. As with most of these cases the creature started to regress into a more human like form. Ekko made note of the seconds it took to do so.

"That was easier than some of the others I think." Lien said, looking over the body. "Is it dead?" Ekko looked over the tiger form. It was beginning to take the shape of a woman. Ekko chose not to answer yet. It was never certain whether they survived the regression. Most hadn't but a few rare ones did. And it was only as Ekko saw the woman's bare skin heave ever so slightly that he felt safe to respond.

"Yeah, looks good." Ekko said as he turned away. Trying not to think about the naked woman in front of him. He reached out and pulled Duke away as well. Just in case. "Would you handle this one, Lien? I've got a thing." Ekko looked at his watch. It was ten minutes until midnight and he needed to get back.

"You guys are such babies. They're just boobs. All chicks have em. To varying degrees but still." Ekko heard some sounds of exertion before Lien spoke again. "Have fun on your date, boss. Me and Duke still gotta patrol a bit."

"I told you it's not a date. But good luck anyway."

"Be careful with that girl, boss. They don't call her a loose cannon for nothing." With that Duke turned and left with Lien. Ekko sighed in relief.

* * *

His way back to the citadel was rushed. He wasn't that far away but he couldn't stop his mind from racing. Would she show? Would she blow him up? Would she still be wearing such a ridiculous outfit? To be fair, it was technically in Zaun fashion. But he always found it a bit off-putting. Not to mention Duke and Lien still patrolling. Not that he didn't believe in them. They were both strong fighters. Maybe they'd join him in the League one day. _The day when Zaun is safe_. He thought. Until then, Zaun needed its protectors. Especially now that some psycho was creating these creatures. Ekko thought they coming faster than before. And they seemed to be targeting him more specifically now. He shook his head. It wasn't time to think about that.

The citadel, wasn't really a citadel at all. It was actually a small hovel in one of the more run down areas of the slums. But it certainly wasn't well known about. Asking Jinx to come here was all part of his plan. If she knew where it was, that meant she at least remembered something.

Ekko made his way through the ruined buildings leading to the citadel. He had to push past many fallen logs and jump over a particularly nasty looking sewage pipe. But within moments there he was, in front of the metal door barely held together by rust and grime. It always required a certain amount of force to get through. But it was important to always be delicate with it. Too much, and it would come off. Too little and you'd get nowhere with it. Ekko lost track of how many times he'd put it back in its slot.

The citadel wasn't pretty sight. But to Ekko, it was beautiful. It consisted of a large, mostly circular room with arches leading to the main area. To the side, was a large open air window, that got quite annoying in the winter, and quite pleasant in the summer. Ekko told himself for the thousandth time he should build a gate or something. Or maybe even some stairs so he didn't have to go through the other entrance. The room was littered with unfinished projects. Some his own, some the others. Unused and spilt paint was flung off into the corners of the room, giving the room a perpetual heaviness whenever one sniffed. But the alter was what made it truly beautiful.

A monument, started in the early days of Ekko finding this place. The wall had already existed, covered with various faces of people that were once important to someone else. Then Ekko found it. He remembered being so excited to find a place he could call his own. His parents never let him work in the house, but here. He could do what he pleased.

About halfway down the wall was where the illustrations had begun for him. The largest image described one of the few adults Ekko truly respected. He had no other name than "C". He remembered meeting C only a few times, but he started all of this. The image was mostly faded and his features hardly recognizable but seeing it always reminded Ekko of back then. C had disappeared years ago. Perhaps that was one of the reasons Vi and Jinx had left in the first place.

The second largest image was one Ekko had actually paid someone to paint for him. And it was always painful to look at. Ajuna. The face he could never escape. The one time he was too late. Ajuna's corpse and the piltie that killed him flashed through Ekko's mind. His rage boiled at the thought. But then he let go. _Never look back._ A statement much easier to say than do.

The rest of the image were various smaller faces. All those that had been lost. _Too many. It's always too many._ On the sides of the image, painted almost as large as C's were the images of Vi and Jinx. They were crudely drawn, not even coming close to the quality of the others. But it was them quite clearly. Looking at it now, Vi's image had no tattoo. That was always something Ekko meant to add. Yet he kept forgetting over the years.

Various candles, drawing and pictures made up the rest of the alter. It was a fairly simple setup but one that always made Ekko feel at peace.

Ekko had gotten so caught up in the image that he almost didn't hear it when the knocking started. He jolted upright and looked to the door. _No way…_ He made his way over to the door and slowly opened it. But this was not the blue haired maniac he expected. "Vi?!" Ekko barely had time to get the words out before her, fortunately normal, fist slammed into his stomach. It was still a wicked punch causing Ekko to stumble backwards a bit.

"I thought I recognized you, kid." She made her way inside. "I've been following you since you left Piltover. Next time try escaping in something more subtle than a blimp." She slammed her fist into his face this time. Ekko fell over and felt blood welling in his mouth. She stood over him. "Now, kid you have to tell me: why in the world would you help her escape?! You have to know she's a monster." Ekko breathed deeply a few times before answering. He almost didn't know the answer himself but he was prepared to try and give one.

"I understand how upset you are. Truly I do." Ekko stood up. "And honestly, I'm more surprised you don't know why I helped her. If you remember me, then you must also remember ten years ago. I used to like her, remember? When she went nuts those feelings left me. But seeing her there, on top of that tower, and knowing she was about to die, I couldn't let that go. So I saved her."

Vi seemed to consider his answer. She looked around the room. "This place looks the same as back then." She walked towards the wall of faces. "More faces on the side of the wall this time to." He detected a hint of sadness in her voice. She looked over to the larger images. "What the hell? Is that supposed to be me?" Ekko laughed to himself.

"I was seven okay? They don't pay me to paint." Vi seemed to laugh a bit as well. "Look, Vi, I don't know if she'll even show up, but I invited Jinx. She should be here soon if at all. And before you say anything, I want you to know that I'd like you to stay too. You'll see her and you'll want to take her in but maybe just this one night we can go back to being what we used to be. Maybe we can even get her out of this…whatever is going on in her head." Vi turned to him and approached. She stood almost half ahead above him. There was another moment of silence before Vi decided to punch Ekko once again. He stumbled back but stayed on his feet.

"What's your deal?" He didn't wait for a response. He ran back up to her and attempted a punch of his own. He caught her just under her tattoo, though she seemed unaffected. The two of them grappled for a moment. Hands clasped together and faces just an inch from the other.

"You're just as ignorant as back then, kid. Jinx is a monster. She needs to be put down."

"Sorry we can't all sell out like you! I just wanted to save an old friend." It was easy to tell that Vi was stronger. This close he could see the muscles through her shirt. But he wasn't going to back down.

"Is that what you think this? I'm trying to erase the past or some shit?" Ekko slammed his knee into her stomach causing her to let go. He backed away before she could swing another punch.

"You left us, Vi. I remember you before you were cool. Back when C, and Jinx, and…I were your family." Vi stared at him blankly. She walked slowly towards him. She slowly raised her hands and placed them on Ekko's shoulders. He flinched but the warmness of her touch told him it was legit.

"It because of that bond that I have to do what I do, kid." She sighed deeply. "I couldn't live that life anymore. I know, C meant the world to you. He meant the world to all of us. But you were only seven. You didn't understand. And it seems you still don't." She turned back to the altar. "I saw that you kept us going. Figured that out when I followed you here. That tiger thing was pretty intense."

"You saw that?"

"Yeah, thought about jumping in but it seemed like you handled it. Plus I would have given away my cover."

"Subtlety. Unexpected from you." She turned back and gave him a smile.

"Cait's not the only one who can figure things out." They both chuckled. "Look, kid, I can't let her go. She's just done too much damage. I hope you can understand." Ekko rubbed his chin. Then an idea came to him.

"Let's make a deal then. You stay for a bit. If she shows, then we can…talk. If you do that without trying to bring her in, or do anything like a piltie, then I'll help you take her. If she seems like we can do something about her situation, then you leave and let me work?"

"No offense, kid but that seems like a stupid plan." For a moment, there was silence. Ekko wasn't sure how to respond to that. "But just this once, for the bond we once shared, I will take you up on that."

"Take him up on what Fat Hands?" The high pitched voice of Jinx cut through the awkward time between Ekko processing his response. Jinx walked through the door while twirling one of her long hair braids. She stood at a distance, obviously waiting for a response.

"Oh, Jinx, what a," Vi looked at Ekko, "Pleasant surprise." Jinx raised an eyebrow and looked to Ekko.

"Fishbones would not stop nagging me to come here. So, what did you want?" Ekko was at a loss for words. In a way, he was really happy to see her. Even more so that she remembered how to find this place. That meant some of Jasmine was still around. On the other hand he wasn't sure if his newfound alliance with Vi would last. He thought about setting up the Z-drive but thought better of it.

"Why don't we all just sit for a second?" He motioned to the center of the room. They all slowly moved and sat with him. _Step one complete._ For a second, there was silence. Ekko decided he had better get them talking about something. "I guess the first thing I want to mention is that it's been ten years since we all sat together like this. That's pretty cool, right?" Ekko smiled widely but the other didn't follow suit. Not even Jinx, who seemed to always have a smile.

"Who cares about ten years ago?" Jinx added. You said the same thing on the blimp. That might as well have been a lifetime ago." Ekko felt a bit defeated by that.

"Do you guys remember when we first met?" Jinx rolled her eyes but Vi just shook her head.

"I don't know about this psycho but I actually lost a lot of my memory." Ekko looked at her. "Yeah, I'm not sure why or how but I don't remember much. I didn't recognize either of you immediately but I hardly remember this ten years ago you're talking about."

"That's funny. I don't remember much either, Fat Hands." Jinx said with a smile.

"What the hell is going on? How am I the only one who remembers anything?" Ekko said, with more force than he intended. Vi gave him an intense look.

"You don't remember a damn thing, kid. You thought we were the good guys back then. We weren't. We hurt people. We stole from people. You looked up to us, saw us as family when you had your own family. The rest of us didn't have that." Ekko narrowed his eyes at Vi.

"Thought you said you couldn't remember anything? But that's the second time you've mentioned the old days to me."

"Let's just say, it's coming back to me. It has been every since I saw your face the other day." Ekko smiled, maybe the meant something.

"You both talk too much." Jinx cut in. "Fishbones was telling me all these things that happened ten years ago. He kept reminding me about all these stories from someone he said was me once."

"What did he say?" Ekko questioned.

For a moment Jinx said nothing. She looked at the floor and then looked at Ekko. But something was different. Her eyes, what was once an empty pink gaze now had a spark of life. "I…no Jasmine, the girl I killed a long time ago. She was older than both of you. And the one that protected you from C's anger. Getting beaten by him just so that he wouldn't take his anger out on a seven year old. The one who told him not to bring along children so he could have a "distraction".

"The fourteen year old who I killed. To free her of pain. And the one who made C disappear." Then the spark left her eyes. They became lifeless once again. "And the one who used to be jealous of these things!" Jinx moved over towards Vi and placed her face between her breasts. Ekko's eyes widened as he observed the sight. Vi turned bright red and was too stunned to move. Jinx smiled wildly as she moved her head back and forth.

Ekko flashed back to ten years ago again.

 _He's seven years old again. The three of them stood in an alley. Vi is thirteen. Jinx, just a year older. Vi has just begun to develop. Jinx smiles and starts to tease her about it. To cover up an insecurity or just because she enjoyed it, Ekko wasn't sure. But back then, he found it so unappealing._

It was still Vi's weakness it seemed. Vi regained her composure and pushed Jinx away. "Never. Again." Jinx kept her distance. But her smile remained. Ekko shook his head. If what Jinx said was true, it changed a lot. Was C really that reckless? That heartless? He may never find out. But maybe that was the reason Jinx had become the way she was. This required further information.

"I'm so bored. Let's go out and shoot something. Or better yet, someone!" Vi looked at Ekko.

"I don't think we're going to do that, Jinx." Ekko said.

"Well I guess it's a good thing I don't need your permission." Jinx began to walk towards the door. Vi stepped in front of her.

"Ekko's right. We aren't doing that. And I'm not going to let you hurt people." Jinx tried to push past her but Vi pushed back.

"Oh, I see how it is." She un-holstered Pow Pow. Vi backed up a bit. She didn't have her gloves to block the shots now.

"You see this, kid? You'd better honor our agreement!"

"Come on, Ekko, this will be far more fun. Let's have some fun. Ekko wasn't sure how to proceed. Could he really honor his agreement to Vi? Help a piltie put away another person from Zaun? He didn't get the chance to answer however as another person entered the room.

"I was wondering where I'd find you, Ekko." All three of them looked towards the door to a grisly sight. A woman stood in the doorway, Ekko could tell by her voice. She was in complete shadow so Ekko couldn't make out any features aside from piercing red eyes. She stood at a twisted angle as if something was weighing down her torso. But the worst part was the bloody bodies of Duke and Lien in her hands. She threw them inside the room and walked forward.

"It took me a while to beat the information out of those two. Don't worry, They aren't dead. My fight is only with you." She came into closer view. She had short black hair and angular glasses. She wore a blood splattered lab coat, the white parts being almost the same color as her skin. She had a blue tank top with a matching skirt. Ekko could see a sword attached to her back.

"Who are you? And what have you done to my friends?" Ekko demanded as he reached for his bat. The woman walked past Vi and Jinx and stood in the rooms center.

"You're the one who's been killing my babies. And I can't allow that." She drew her sword and leveled it at Ekko. Ekko was confused by her phrase but it took him only a moment to realize what she must have meant. _The animal experiments._

"Maybe you should make stronger ones next time. Or maybe just give up." She smiled. A truly heartless smile.

"Or maybe I'll just use you next!"

"Damn it, you're everything wrong with Zaun!"She rushed at him. He moved to pull the Z-drive chain but she was too fast. He was barely able to raise his bat up in time. The weapons clashed pushing Ekko back. They looked into each other's eyes. He saw the same empty soul he saw in Jinx. He pushed back and the weapons disconnected. He quickly swung back a few times but she blocked them all before they clashed once again.

"Hate to interrupt you two over there, but maybe you want to do something?!" Vi looked down at her hands.

"Shit, I left my gauntlets outside." With that, she turned and ran out the door. Jinx looked at the woman and shrugged.

"Well, at least I get to blow someone up now." She un-holstered Fishbones and prepared a rocket. _The alter! She'll blow up this whole place._ Ekko pushed against the woman again but this time to break away. He quickly pulled the chain of the Z-drive as the sound of the rocket shot from her gun. The world seemed to go in slow motion. Heck, maybe it was. Ekko was never quite sure. He jumped and swung his bat at the rocket. It occurred to him in this moment that his plan had almost no chance of success. Not only that but if it didn't he might be too dead to even rewind. And even if he _did_ rewind he would be too injured to stop her second rocket.

Luckily, it worked.

The rocket bounced off the bat and headed towards the open window. It exploded harmlessly outside.

Ekko rolled on his side and looked at Jinx. "What's your problem? You could have blown this whole place!" She looked at him with a look of confusion but before he could respond, the woman was already upon him. She swung her sword wildly with Ekko blocking to the best of his ability. She managed to slice his right arm, leaving Ekko with the warm feeling of blood.

"I have to say," the woman began. "for Zaun's savior, I'm not very impressed so far." Ekko heard a noise by the door and quickly noticed Vi walking through, gauntlets secure.

"Well you know who I am. Why don't you say your name? Just so I know it when I kick you ass." She smiled again.

"They call me Koromei, the Shadow Doctor."

"Why do they call you that, I wonder." She wordlessly raised her hand. An inhuman light swirled around it. No, it wasn't light. More like darkness it seemed. It attached to her hand and in a moment it erupted into a long, inhuman claw. She struck out with it. Ekko took the hit unguarded and was sent tumbling across the room. The pain was intense but Ekko forced himself to look up at her. Preparing for the next strike. Koromei prepared her next strike, but wasn't prepared for the pink flash.

Vi was surprisingly fast for someone carrying around gauntlets that size. She was on Koromei in mere seconds. She swung her fist with intent to kill. Koromei raised her shadow hand and blocked the blow. But the force of the swing knocked her outside the open window.

Ekko wished that was the end of it as he stood up. "We have to go after her. She could hurt the people out there.' He looked to Vi and then Jinx. "What do you say, one last time?" Vi slammed her fist together in agreement. Jinx rolled her eyes again but agreed anyway.

Koromei was waiting for them down on the street. She looked uninjured but didn't have the same look as before. "That was an impressive hit. It will be the last. You will all become my experiments!"

"We'll see about that." Ekko shouted. With that, the attack began. Ekko and Vi closed the gap quickly, with Jinx readying Pow Pow for some none rocket based carnage. But Koromei was good. She was able to match all of Ekko's swings with her own. When Vi came close she would dodge or reflect with her shadow hand. Jinx wasn't having any luck with her bullets either. The shadow was able to deflect those just as well. The futility of it all was starting to weigh on Jinx. Or at least that was what Ekko believed because she quickly switched back to using Fishbones.

It was after midnight and due to the fight no one was really on the street. But one of those rockets could easily hit a building. Ekko couldn't allow that. He broke off his battle and rolled in front of Jinx's firing line. "Can't let you use those, Jinx!" She remained unmoved.

"Get out of my way, shrimp. Nothing else is working."

"You might hit someone. Or something, I can't let that happen."

"Think I won't shoot through you? You're mistaken." Ekko flinched at that.

"You two can bicker later!" Vi yelled, still engaged with Koromei. But the distraction was all Koromei needed. She ducked under one of Vi's fists and swung her sword. Catching Vi in the gut. Vi tumbled over, yelling in pain. _Damn it._ Ekko turned back to Koromei to reengage. But she had other plans. She matched blades with Ekko for a moment but quickly detached and ran towards Jinx.

"I'm guessing you're vulnerable at a close range, pretty thing!" Ekko quickly turned again and ran as fast as he could towards Jinx. Jinx fired some rockets, in spite of Ekko's warning. But the shadow was able to absorb them all. Ekko wasn't going to make it. He cursed himself. He couldn't let her get hurt either. But as he looked towards Jinx she had the biggest smile on her face.

She flipped a switch on Fishbones. "I guess if I'm going down, we should all go down!" She aimed Fishbones at the ground. Koromei was too close to do anything about it and Ekko needed to stop her. Somehow. But it was too late. Jinx jumped in the air. "Super Mega Death Rocket!" A much larger missile shot from Fishbones's outstretched mouth. Ekko couldn't remember what exactly happened next. Just a flash of light and searing pain before blacking out.

* * *

His head throbbed worse than it ever had. For once, he wished he heard the sound of sirens but no police lived in this part of Zaun. He blinked a few times. He was laying face down on the ground. He moved his head, causing more pain. He could see charred remains on the buildings beside him. _Get up you bastard._ He thought. He placed one hand on the ground, only to notice that the ground was wet. He laughed to himself for not realizing it had started to rain. His other hand still gripped his bat. With all his strength he pushed up off of the ground to his knees.

He took deep breaths. Looking over himself he noticed patches of burned flesh along his arms. They still smoked as the rain hit them. The pain was probably intense but Ekko felt numb at the moment. He turned his head and saw Vi still sprawled on the ground. _Please, don't be dead._ He knew he'd need to check, especially with the wound she took. But first he need to handle Jinx. He stood up completely and walked towards her. He noticed that there was no sign of Koromei. Perhaps she was just some ash on a building. But somehow he doubted it.

He stumbled as he walked but he could still us the bat as support. At the edge of his vision he saw the blue haired body moving slightly. He clenched his teeth and stumbled closer. She hadn't noticed him, she was crawling away slowly. With all his strength he raised his bat. He should just slam it into the back of her head. She'd either die or just be knocked out. She was a monster. She deserved this fate. The bat wobbled in his hand. He couldn't do it. _Shit._ Instead, he turned her over.

She looked at him blankly. She breathed heavily but said nothing. "Vi warned me about you. I should have listened." He wanted to say more but didn't have the strength. So instead he sat down on her stomach. He stared at her. But she still remained silent, as if she was waiting for him to act. He leaned down and kissed her. A sloppy kiss. His first actually. She did nothing. No reciprocation but she made no effort to push him away. But he felt nothing. He leaned back up and rolled off of her, laying flat on his back.

"Was that everything you wanted?" She said. "I imagine you wanted to find something, right? That's why you did that. Well I told you once," She rolled over and sat on Ekko. "that Jasmine is dead. And you will be too if you ever stand in my way again." Ekko moved his head until their noses almost touched.

"Stay out of my city. Next time, I'll give you to Vi myself." She smiled again and rolled off of him. She managed to stand up and quickly walked away. _Good riddance._ He wanted to just lay there and sleep. He had hoped someone would come and get Vi. But he knew Zaun. And when you hear explosions and people screaming, you stayed inside. So he did what he always did. Summoned strength he didn't have and got up.

Vi was still unconscious but breathing. He touched her stomach and warm blood covered his hand. He had to move her. He quickly detached her gauntlets and started to drag her. He cursed his lack of strength.

It took what felt like hours to get her back to the citadel. He left the gauntlets outside, he could get them later. Then he got to work.

* * *

The sun had started to peek over the horizon when she finally awoke. Ekko was half asleep leaning against a wall. "What happened?!" She yelled with a start, before her stomach wound caused her to reel. Ekko limped over to her.

"I stitched you up. You learn to do that in my line of work. In regards to the fight, Koromei's gone. Dead or escaped, I'm not sure."

"And Jinx?"

"I…she escaped. I should have listened to you. I'm sorry." She motioned for him to come closer. He did and she placed her hand on his cheek.

"Happens to the best of us, kid." Ekko laughed and turned away. Maybe Vi wasn't so bad after all.

"She's really gone though. Jinx, that is. You must have you hands full with her."

"You have no idea."

"If she ever comes back, I'll try and capture her for you." Vi smiled.

"You're far better for this city than C ever was. You do me proud, kid. I heard how you wanted to protect the people. I may be Piltover's finest. But maybe you're Zaun's finest." Ekko smiled at that. Someone had to be the finest. Maybe that was him. He would hunt down Koromei and anyone else who thought Zaun was filled with playthings. "I'm tired. I'm going back to sleep. Perhaps you should do the same." Ekko nodded. He knew they'd be enemies in the League one day. But today, they needed sleep. And he intended to get some.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed the story. I don't plan to do another entry or anything but I'd appreciate any reviews on my writing style or the way the plot progressed.


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